Standing By
by howlingwolvesonfire
Summary: The longest week of Cobra's life began when a certain white-haired demon decided that he was good enough to play love doctor. The worst part about the whole scenario is that he agreed to do it. Eventual CoLu. Drabble-fic.
1. The Beginning

**This story is going to be fun. Very, very fun. This isn't going to be planned expect for major plot points, so I look forward to the sheer insanity that this will bring. Enjoy!**

 _ **Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**_

* * *

It was another lovely day in the city of Magnolia. Fairy Tail was rather quiet for once, their normally boisterous energy being replaced with a quieter hum that filled the guild room with a pleasant buzz. The most fight-prone members of the guild were gone on various missions, and while the Master was sure to have a fit once the regular monthly damage bill came in even he couldn't deny that the peace at the guild hall was rather relaxing after endless bouts of guild damaging squabbles.

So, in a sense, having Crime Sorciere visit on this day made perfect sense. No Natsu to get Cobra into an all out fight, no Laxus to push Jellal into a drinking spree, and no Gajeel to play his loosely defined "music" and inevitabely push one or more of the members to smash a chair into his metal-pierced face. A few would regret not being there, as the independent guild's company had won over quite a few in Fairy Tail; but all in all, it was not a bad trade for a little bit of quiet.

If only the residents of the guild had known what would transpire during that week when all was seemingly quiet. Maybe they would have wished for at least one troublemaker to stay, at least that insanity would have been manageable.

* * *

 **If anyone has a better title in mind feel free to suggest it, this one is servicable but could be better.**


	2. Day 1 (Part 1)

**Big thanks to Eien for suggesting "Operator" as a title. The new title is a shortening of "an operator is standing by" which is very appropriate for the story as a whole. Thanks again Eien!**

* * *

Their entry was the same as always, with Jellal going inside first to announce their presence.

"Jellal!" Erza said happily through a mouthful of her prized strawberry cake. She was in quite the good mood since seeing Gray and Natsu off on their shared mission together. (No one had the heart to tell her that the only reason they took it was to evade her wrath since they had been arguing at the request board for over ten minutes.)

"Hello again, Erza," Jellal replied with a smile as the rest of Crime Sorciere spilled out into the guild. Meredy immediately pulled off her hood and ran towards Juvia who embraced her in a tight hug before pulling apart and talking excitedly about all the stuff that had happened at either guild since the last time they were together. Racer headed towards Jet and Droy's table and was welcomed with plenty of drinks while Hoteye chatted pleasantly with Lisanna who giggled instead of groaned every time he made a "love" statement.

Sorano complained loudly about Gray not being there but nonetheless moved over to the Thunder Legion's table to have a discussion with Evergreen. Midnight followed her to the table as well, even though his nodding head suggested that he wasn't going to be of much converstaion at the moment. Jellal sat across from Erza, one part of him trying to make small talk and the other part simply content on seeing her again, happy and enjoying her favorite food.

Cobra held himself back from gagging, _Zeref_ his boss could be so cringe-worthy sometimes. He made a mental note to tease him about it later before glancing around. Where was he going to sit again?


	3. Day 1 (Part 2)

Eventually, Cobra settled down next to the only person who didn't give him a migrane trying to keep track of their insane head, Lucy Heartfillia.

Lucy was interesting in many ways to Cobra. When they had first come to the guild shortly after joining Crime Sorciere she had been one of the most welcoming, despite the fact that she had the biggest reasons to despise and reject them. Not to say she trusted them whole-heartedly or anything-she certainly wasn't stupid-but the lack of open hostility shared by some of her teammates at the start was one of the oddest things he'd ever seen. A little hostility, anger, or even fear was common among the people who had seen them as past enemies, but to see that her soul held none of those feelings was just...bizarre.

Even months after, he continued to find new and suprising things about her. The Posion Dragonslayer wasn't one for what he considered sentimental nonsense, but he could easily see himself having a deeper bond with the Celestial Mage than anyone else in the guild. (To be fair, she didn't really have any serious competition.)

Cobra shook his head slightly and sent a thanks to the gods that no one else had his Soul Reading ability. He definitely didn't want anyone else knowing about that.


	4. Day 1 (Part 3)

**Sorry about the slight delay in new chapters, I wanted to build a buffer for this so that I could work on other projects and still update this consistently. Unfortunately I have not been able to write as much of this as I had hoped. So today there will be an update and I'm going to aim for consistent updates starting friday/saturday. Thank you for your patience.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Lucy's gaze hadn't shifted since Cobra sat down. Her eyes stared ahead absentmindedly, her fingers twirling around the straw in her drink.

 _I can't believe how quiet it is now that so many people are gone. Well...it's probably not that so many are gone but who exactly is gone. It almost feels unnatural to walk into a guild this quiet, not that I don't enjoy this bit of relaxation, but it is rather odd after the first day of peace and quiet. At least I don't have to worry about getting hit with a projectile, or being blasted by Natsu/Gray/Laxus/Gajeel/any male over seventeen, or finding a job that won't take a week to do. That reminds me, I still need some money for rent. I'm not as much short as usual, thank Mavis. I swear every time I've asked for a small extension the landlady always gave the nastiest glare..._

The next several thoughts consisted of less than pleasant descriptions of her "demon" landlady. As amusing as Lucy's thoughts were, Cobra could sense them beginning to trail and decided to snap her back to reality.


	5. Day 1 (Part 4)

**So, so sorry for the utter lack of updates! *looks at calendar* Yikes, its been a month already? Yeesh.**

 **Life really caught up to me after I last updated, I'm doing NaNoWriMo which means most (if not all) my writing time has been dedicated solely on that monster project. As well as other school stuff and college applications I haven't been able to work on this very much at all. Luckily NNWM is swiftly coming to a close as well as Thanksgiving break coming up, which means I'll have plenty of time to work on this again! Probably. It might be best to just expect irregular updates.**

 **In the meantime, here are the next few parts that I had written out before all this craziness started.**

* * *

Cobra rapped his tan knuckles on the table, "Oi, Bright Eyes. You can think about how unflattering your demon landlady would look in that miniskirt later."

Lucy yelped, spinning around to stare surprisingly at the now smirking man.

"Cobra?! When did you even get here?" Now it was his turn to look surprised.

"You really didn't hear us come in?" A shocked face quickly morphed into a grin, "Oh my God, just how deep in thought were you about all that?" A guffaw threatened to break out. Lucy's face reddened significantly. "Maybe I'll have to start calling you 'Deaf Ears' instead of Bright Eyes."

"If you so dare as whisper that around my friends I will make sure Erza knows about the night you stayed over at my house and kept _forty snakes_ in my dresser drawers." There is no joking tone to be found in her steely cool voice. Cobra would not live to see the dawn if she told the psycho that.

"Alright, fine. It's not like that would have stuck anyways." Was it just him, or did just a tinge of redness stay when he said that?

Well, at least he had her attention now.


	6. Day 1 (Part 5)

**Just to make sure there's no confusion, this takes place six or so months after the Tartaros arc, with no heartbreaking goodbyes from anybody. So the council is a total mess right now.**

* * *

"So, how did your last mission go?" Lucy was the first to speak again, her hands closing around her drink as she gazed at him expectedly.

Cobra grunted, "Nothing special, just another dumb ass dark guild that thought that thought they could take us on. This one's whole deal was really petty crimes, so it's not like they were impressive to begin with. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't get busted earlier by the council, or literally any other guild."

"Apparently the council's going through some renovations. I wouldn't be surprised if they lacked in the criminal catching department for a while."

Cobra snorted, "Not like they had the best record for dealing with them in the first place. When were doing way worse shit than that they didn't even bother to step in until it was almost too late."

Lucy fingers fidgeted around her cup, "I suppose that is true."

Cobra paused, wondering if maybe he shouldn't have mentioned that. Comparing small-time thieves to what he and the other Oracion Seis did was a bit - ok, a lot unfair.

Lucy sighed, "I suppose that's good news for us too, seeing as how we cause way more trouble than those guys ever could." She chuckled darkly. Cobra released an inward breath; that was certainly true. Now he should probably steer the conversation towards a slightly lighter topic.


	7. Day 1 (Part 6)

"Did everyone just decide to skip town today? It's way too quiet in here." Lucy smiled and rolled her eyes ever so slightly.

"It seems fate has aligned and sent all the rowdy people away on missions. Its been so relaxing these past few days I almost think I've walked into the wrong guild sometimes!" She let out a giggle then looked down at her drink. "Although, even with all of them gone I still have rent to pay. You already know how I feel about that situation though."

"Shouldn't you be out on a job too then? Dealing with that she-devil doesn't sound enticing."

"It's not, believe me. But I haven't been able to find a slower paced job yet." She took a large sip of her drink before continuing. "There was a schuffle about a week ago and I got hit in the head - hard." Lucy rapped her head lightly, "Now they don't want me going on any missions that would require a great deal of mental or physical energy. And by 'they' I mean Master and Wendy. Basically doctor's orders."


	8. Day 1 (Part 7)

**Consider these next few updates an early Christmas present to all you lovely people who continue reading my stuff! (And I apologize for once again the lack of updates, I've been picking out colleges and finishing school stuff)**

* * *

While Lucy was by no means the most resilient person in the guild in terms of physical strength, it still caught Cobra a bit off guard to hear her say that. People got hit in the head all the time during fights at this crazy guild; was it really too much of a stretch to assume that everyone here was made of steel? (Well, one technically was...)

Apparently so.

"You mean to tell me that there isn't a single job you can take from that board?"

Lucy sighed frustratedly, "Wendy and master think that way at least. Even when I thought I found one that would be good it was either too far away for their liking or they found it otherwise 'unsatisfactory' given my current condition. Literally, every. Single. One." Her whole face slumped in the re-realization of her predicament. "I'm gonna get kicked out of my apartment and it won't even be Natsu's fault..."

"That's bullshit. Why do they think they can dictate what jobs you can and can't go on now of all times?" In truth it was a _little_ distressing that they had said no to all of the jobs. She must have been hit a lot harder than he had previously thought if they were this worried about her. Still, she was running out of damn money because of this? What the hell guys?

"I know. I understand that they don't want me to get more hurt after that incident...but every job? It's definitely been a stressful few days." She ran a hand through her bright blond hair, rubbing circles into the sides of her head. Cobra looked at her, half furious at her guild mates and half torn at what exactly he could do to improve her situation. He sure as hell wouldn't be able to convince the old man to let her go on a mission - hell, he wouldn't be able to convince _anyone_ to let her go if she really got hurt that bad. Even to that he had no idea to what extent exactly her injuries were, so he couldn't tell them they were overreacting and too leave her alone either. Words of encouragement? Like he was good at doing that in the first place, never mind what one could say in this mind numbingly frustrating scenario.

Before he could say anything in response, a glass slammed down on the table.


	9. Day 1 (Part 8)

**Happy New Year! Let's start this one off right with the first ever double update!**

* * *

Both he and Lucy jumped (although he was less startled by the glass's violent arrival and more by the fact that he hadn't heard the person coming at all), causing whatever he was about to say to rapidly flee his mind as he started to glare at the interrupter, only to stop half-way through.

Oh, this was just peachy.

"Mira! Don't scare us like that!" Lucy whined slightly, laying her arms out on the table as her head plopped itself shakily down as well in relief. Mirajane's form hinted at none of the violence that she had exhibited just a second before, her face awash in a deep smile and her hand that had smashed the drink now up to her lips in a playful sort of way. Personally, Cobra often wondered which one he had to worry about more; the fiery hammer wielding red-head, or the demon matchmaker with way too much time on her hands?

Ideally, he wouldn't have to ever deal with either of them, but fate has never been kind to him, so why start now?

"Oops! Sorry that it was a bit loud. I got a little carried away there."


	10. Day 1 (Part 9)

"Carried away? How does that even happen when you're just setting down a glass?" Mirajane gave an odd sort of look at Cobra but said nothing, simply pushing the glass nearer towards him.

"Actually, this one's for you...I've been experimenting lately with different types of poisons, so I think you'll really like this one."

He narrowed his single eye, "I haven't ordered anything."

Mirajane struck her signature barmaid pose, the glass tray clasped in both arms, both her eyes closed with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face as she replied, "Oh, don't worry, this one's on the house today."

While she said those words, Cobra finally began to clearly register her thoughts for the first time that day.

And that was also when the afternoon truly took a turn for worse.


	11. Day 1 (Part 10)

**Aaah, I can't believe it's been a year since I made this account! I wasn't even planning on writing anything, but here we are! It amazes me how far I've come with just being on here a year and I hope the next year will be even better!**

 **Maybe I should start by updating more often...**

* * *

"Are you fucking insane? As if I'd ever agree to something like that!"

The quiet yet amiable chatter ground to a halt as more than a few heads shifted to look in Cobra's direction. Normally shouting was barely regarded with a passing thought in the guildhall, but with so many members gone it was felt like a bomb going off. Noticing the shift in the atmosphere of the room, Cobra choose to simply glare at the barmaid (who hadn't shifted from her much too happy smile since she spoke) and hope that she would drop her horrid plan and leave.

On that note of wishful thinking, it would also be nice if Zeref would just drop dead and for all the dark guilds to spontaneously combust all at once. You know, just a thought.

Mirajane stared at him with an almost awe-filled look in her eyes, "Well now," she paused for a small giggle which nearly elicited a growl from Cobra, "you're taking this much better than I expected you too."


	12. Status Update

Hey guys! Really sorry that this thing hasn't updated in so long! I'll have a longer update on things in general on my profile page, but for now i just wanted to talk about this for a moment.

Its been a whole year since this has been up now and the amount of times its been updated is a sad number considering the amount of time that has gone by. I have a lot of cool ideas for this story and I'd like at least this drabble series to actually get done in my lifetime. Sadly, due to college being a thing I have even less time to write for this - or anything else - at all. So, here's my plan. I have a winter break coming up soon that's a whole month of free time, and during that time I'll write a huge chunk of this story all at once. Then, once my break ends, I can post a drabble a day until I run out (hopefully around summer break). Currently this seems like the best solution to my updating problem and will allow me to focus more on this story and the direction I want it to go without needless distractions. Any updates to this current plan will be posted on my profile page, so make sure to check there if anything happens!

To everyone that's read this so far and has stuck around - thank you! It still blows me away how many views this thing has gotten and all of your nice reviews have been so wonderful! I hope you continue to enjoy this silly little series.

Also, as a one year anniversary reward...have an update.


	13. Day 1 (Part 11)

Although still agitated, Cobra reluctantly agreed to not just storm straight out of the guild hall and instead listen to what exactly Mirajane wanted. However, this did not mean he was going to make things easy. "The answer is _no_ , demon."

"Just wait a moment while I properly explain it to you - to the both of you that is." The guild had calmed down from the earlier noise and was once again settled into its former peaceful lull (although a few stray glances still fell on the odd trio from time to time). Mirajane wedged herself between Lucy and Cobra at the table, the former throwing concerning glances at the two while the latter tried his best to avoid any eye contact with the barmaid. It was far harder than it sounded. "I think you'll find my proposal much more agreeable once you've heard _all_ of it."

Cobra snorted. Somehow he doubted that.

Despite Cobra's cold shoulder, Mirajane wasted no time in quietly explaining her amazing plan to them.


	14. Day 1 (Part 12)

Better late than never amirite? Anyways, the new schedule is an update every monday/wednesday/friday with hopefully there being more than one update each time once the buffer fills. Enjoy!

* * *

"It's simple, really, see," she pauses for a split second to glance around, as if daring anyone else to listen in on the conversation. Cobra's tolerance of the whole situation went down about 10% more than it already was. "Ever since we defeated Tartarous and rebuild the guild again, there's been a big problem that's just been eating away at me!"

Lucy cocked her head in confusion. "A problem? But everything's been pretty normal since then." Her eyes shifted downwards, "Well, mostly normal at least…"

The she-devil's hands slammed down on the table at the remark. "Exactly!"

Lucy's eyes leapt up to meet wild electric blue; Cobra internally groaned as the thought Mirajane was about to say next reverberated inside his skull.

"Ever since Tartarous everyone's slipped back into their usual ways! There's been practically no romantical progress for…well…anyone!"

If sweat drops had sound effects, Cobra was sure he just heard Lucy's.


	15. Day 1 (Part 13)

"Is…that what this is all about?"

"Yes! It's just such a shame you know? You put so much time and effort into shipping charts and cute headcanons and even sometime interfering in real life; but for all that hard work all you get are hopeless pairs of idiots!" The take-over mage sulked in her seat a bit, as if the hard reality of love only just became aware to her. Cobra could not have been more out of it overall.

"And you think we could help you with this problem…how?"

Mirajane brightened at Lucy's inquiry. "Ah, yes! You two are just perfect for what I had in mind to fix this little problem!"

"You see, when people get sick they turn to doctors for help and advice, soooooo, when faced with a problem of love, who would one turn to?"

"Friends? Family? Maybe a...psychologist?"

"No, Lucy…those are the sane answers." Cobra leaned in closer as if he was sharing some profound wisdom with her, "There are no sane answers with the she-devil."

"If you're done chatting amongst yourselves, I'd like to answer my own question." Mirajane spoke with her trademark smile and Cobra glared at it. He knew it'd be hell to pay if she wasn't in such a fine mood already, so he leaned back in and continued avoiding eye contact.

"I admit that those are all reasonable responses Lucy. However, sometimes even the consoling and advice of other loved ones cannot truly help if the situation has already been deemed hopeless. No, what one must turn to in times of such need is…" she paused and closed one eye for dramatic effect, "a love doctor!"


	16. Day 1 (Part 14)

Lucy sat speechless at the revelation. "Love…doctors?"

"Precisely! Ones versed well in the art of mending broken hearts, guiding ones down the path of new and old flames!" Mira's smile seemed to be trying to break away from her face as she explained this information.

"And you think me…and Cobra," she glanced at him and he could see (and basically hear) the gears turning in her head, "to…be…" she gasped. He let out a sigh.

"Yep, exactly that Bright Eyes. She thinks we're actually capable of holding a position as asinine as what she just spouted out."

"Oh, at least let me explain my reasoning! I know you two might seem a little unconventional, but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't work!"

Cobra imagined dark, violent scenarios on how he was going to end himself right here and now as Mirajane cleared her breath to continue.


	17. Day 1 (Part 15)

"Although at first it would appear odd that I would choose the two of you specifically, after careful consideration it makes perfect sense. First there's you, Cobra," she gestured towards him and he made no visible response, "obviously your soul reading ability plays a big role in all this." Still no response. She scooted ever so closer to the dragonslayer.

"You can generally tell what someone is thinking just by listening to their soul! Not only that, but I've heard you can tell deeper feelings if you listen hard enough, feelings that could be the key to unlocking the next chapter of that person's romantic journey!"

At this Cobra did respond by looking wide-eyed at her. "How exactly do you know that?" He answered curtly. It wasn't as if this information was somehow forbidden knowledge, he had explained it to several people before who had asked, including Lucy. The fact that the she-devil knew about it though…it unnerved him.

Mirajane giggled, "Oh, a friend mentioned it to me one day."

The one-eyed slayer made a mental note to interrogate every last damn person he knew until he found the traitorous scum and annihilated them on the spot. At this point in time he could honestly state he had killed over less than that.

Before he could run through a list of potential suspects though, Mirajane continued on.


	18. Day 1 (Part 16)

"With this ability, picking out exactly what's wrong with a person's situation would be a piece of cake. Not only that," she moved in even closer to him as Lucy picked up her drink and sipped in, surprisingly a little engrossed in what Mira was saying, "but your personality also means it won't be hard at all to give a little tough love to one who really needs it!"

"Who's to say I just won't be an asshole and tear your perfect little chart to tatters?" He said, stating it to be meant as much a fact as a threat. Mirajane still held onto her grin at this, making Cobra's eye grow darker.

"As much as I appreciate you proving my point, there's already a solution in place for this problem." She then turned to look warmly at Lucy, who went wide-eyed at the unexpected look and nearly choked on the remainder of her drink as she set it down.

"Me? That's my role in this? Occasionally reigning in this douchebag when he goes too far?" She looked…a little disappointed at the whole thing. Mirajane quickly shook her head no.

"Oh, no…I mean, that is a part of it, but only a very small part, I assure you. In fact, I feel you have the more difficult side of the job."

Cobra gave a half-snort, only to be lightly kicked by a sandal. Lucy shot a glare at him before staring back at Mira, motioning her to continue on. Out of all the times to get curious…. Cobra thought with a scowl.


	19. Day 1 (Part 17)

"Yes, you'll be helping Cobra in dealing with the problems that arise from each client. Honesty may be a good policy, but having another person around to give other feedback can be just as helpful!" Lucy nodded at all of this, then paused.

"But wouldn't someone like Erza or Levy be more practical for that kind of position? At least Erza would definitely be able to keep Cobra in line." She cast an evil smirk at Cobra, who almost involuntarily shuddered.

"Don't you dare even joke about that."

Her smirk fell away into a smile and she laughed, a bit of the previous tension falling away.

"Erza…could work, but only under very specific conditions. I'm afraid she has her own romantic progress that I'd like to see…resolved." A dark gleam passed through Mirajane's eyes for only a second but Cobra knew she was looking straight past the two of them to Erza and Jellal across the hall. "The same goes with Levy, also she's been busy with a few new books lately." Mira looked back at Lucy then, "but even if they weren't already wrapped up in their own things right now, I still think you'd be the best one for the job Lucy."


	20. Day 1 (Part 18)

"You've shown yourself to step outside of your own comforts to help people…and I dare say you're one of the easiest people to befriend here." She put her hand on Lucy's own and smiled. "You're just the type of person one would trust wholeheartedly to talk about a private matter; and one they know would give their all to help them."

A light blush spread across Lucy's face and Cobra listened as he heard the memories of her doing exactly that surfacing to her mind. He rubbed his hands together and tried not to let the memories overwhelm him.

"It's not like that, really. I just don't like sitting by while others are suffering." Despite this, the blush deepened on her face. Mirajane giggled in delight.

"I know you can do it Lucy. You'd be a great love doctor!"

It was so pure…so sweet…so inspiring…Cobra was definitely feeling like gagging from it all.

* * *

 **Just as a general reminder, reviews are very appreciated! Questions, comments, concerns, all that jazz. I can't stress enough how uplifting it can be to get just one review and how much it helps me push forward with this story. Hope everyone's been enjoying the new chapters!**


	21. Day 1 (Part 19)

"Oh, and not only will you be helping him, but you'll also be writing everything down!" She squealed and clasped her hands together in pure delight. "Then I'll be able to be in the know along with you guys!"

"Isn't that in assumption that we'll even do this thing in the first place?" Cobra finally spoke up, directing both girl's attention on him, "This is obviously crazy and neither of us want anything to do with it, right Bright Eyes?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes but then cast them downwards. "It does seem a little absurd, no offense Mira, but even then I'm not sure Master or Wendy will let-"

"Oh don't worry about that!" Mirajane interjected. "I've already got both of their approvals, they're totally ok with all of this!"

Cobra somehow doubted the she-devil used the same explanation for her crazy scheme on both of them, but he was nonetheless disappointed by this revelation. Lucy on the other hand, practically radiated from the surprise.

"I made sure everything was ok so there wouldn't be any unfortunate surprises later. The last thing you need is to get hurt again."

Lucy really did look like she was going to cry. It would have been hilarious if Cobra didn't have any previous context on the situation.

Despite this, he knew he'd have to be the bad guy here.

* * *

 **lokirhow: aaah thank you! glad you're so excited about this fic!**


	22. Day 1 (Part 20)

**It's CoLu week! In celebration I'll be posting an update or two every day this week! Expect a few short pieces based on the prompts sometime soon as well...**

* * *

"Shouldn't you have gotten permission for her to perform, I dunno, an actual job?"

Mirajane turned her head at this. "Whatever do you mean? This is a job. I'll be paying both of you for your time and services on this project." She gave a tiny pout in Cobra's direction. "Honestly, do you really think I'm that heartless?"

Lucy really was crying at this point, a stray tear slipping down her face. She leapt from her seat to hug Mirajane, who welcomed her openly. "Oh Mira! This would help so much, thank you!"

Mira smiled and patted her head. "It's no problem at all Lucy," she stated warmly, the sincerity obvious in her tone.

Cobra's (somewhat surprising?) relief at the situation was only countered by his increasing sense of being trapped with increasingly few options of escape.


	23. Day 1 (Part 21)

"Well good for you then," Cobra responded, his mind racing for any kind of excuse that would leave him out entirely. After a moment's consideration he realized a single, fatal flaw in her plan and had to stop himself from grinning. "Unfortunately I don't think we'll be around long enough for this whole scheme of yours to take effect. You know how my boss usually is; can't stay in one place too long or else we'll end up attracting the wrong kind of attention."

Of course, usually this was true. As it turned out this time Jellal arranged for them to be there for over a week, claiming that he had reason to believe something unnatural was around the town. Cobra chalked it up to roughly twenty percent actual worry and eighty percent realization that security had become so lax they could probably walk into the middle of town square unhooded and no one would bat an eye. Add to that a healthy dose of scarlet red and they were going to be there for a while.

Cobra hoped that she would buy the excuse for long enough for Lucy to get settled into the job perhaps with someone else filling in for him) and then by the time she found out the truth, he'd be far, far away from it all. If he needed to hide for a week, he would. He was no stranger to hiding from others, after all.

"Oh? Then why did Erza tell me this morning she was looking forward to seeing everyone all week? Or...is there something you're not telling me?"

Despite the fact that he probably should have been able to tell that this would fail; Cobra still ended surprised that everything fell apart in an instance.


	24. Day 1 (Part 22)

After a disgruntled growl from Cobra-which could have suggested many things but that Mira decided to take as a dismissal of his last statement-she slowly stood up and once again smiled warmly at the two of them.

"Well, I suppose I've told you two enough for now. Ultimately I can't force you to take the job…"

She glanced at Cobra.

"…but I do think it would work out the best if _both_ of you are there."

The poison dragon-slayer shot a death glare at the barmaid and nearly bared his teeth in retort. "I heard you the first damn time, demon."

Mirajane only continued smiling at this.

"I'll happily accept the job," Lucy happily chirped up. Her grin was even wider than Mira's and her excitement-no, relief, rolled off of her in waves.

"I'll tell you more about it later, and you can tell Cobra if he accepts."

Lucy nodded eagerly while Cobra choose to ignore them again.

Before she left to tend to the other Fairy Tail members, Mirajane's eyes stared directly at Cobra. "Remember, your drink's on the house," she said, before giving the least subtle and most pain inducing wink Cobra could possibly imagine.

There was no way in hell he was touching that thing now. He would say it was probably poisoned but ironically it was likely the deadliest drink in the entire guild hall.


	25. Day 1 (Part 23)

The minute the demon barmaid left his general line of sight, (and just enough out of range for him to easily tune out her soul) the tense pose Cobra held fell away as he put a hand over his one eye in exasperation. Somehow his entire week had gone from mildly ok to hellish thanks to a single terrible suggestion. It just didn't seem fair for the she-devil to single the two of them out when there were so many other horrible candidates to choose from.

And to make matters worse…Lucy was totally giving him the puppy dog eyes. Both mentally, _and_ physically.

 _Pleeeeasssse, Cobra. Pleeeeeasssse?_

"Absolutely not. Mention and or think of it again and I will leave and never return."

Lucy's soft eyes looked dangerously close to melting. "Consider it?…At least for me? Please?"

Cobra's eye held its gaze on Lucy. He opened his mouth to say something but just as quickly closed it. He seemed to be mulling it over in his mind as Lucy anxiously awaited a reply. Finally he sighed.

"No."

End of discussion.


	26. Day 1 (Part 24)

The rest of the day went fairly predictably. Cobra continued shooting Lucy down whenever she mentioned the job, claiming that he wanted no part of it and also wasn't even really needed for her to get the job. It was around the third time the topic abruptly switched to the job that he excused himself and fled to a tucked away table to mull over events.

Kinana actually managed to run into him towards the end of the day. She-mercifully-had no idea what Mirajane was planning, so he was able to have a nice talk with her about guild happenings. All the while keeping extra on guard for any surprise appearances by either Mira or Lucy.

Eventually it was nearing closing time, so Jellal called them out and they all headed back to where they were camped out at the edge of town. Cobra made especially sure to not make eye contact with anyone on the way out. From his quick glance at her table, however, Lucy wasn't even still in the guild. It wasn't that much of a surprise given both her injury and the events of the day, and even though he definitely didn't want to initiate anymore conversation, a pang of… _something_ made him feel a little less better than he already was feeling. Which wasn't really great to begin with.

So, there he sat in the dead of night. Alone and awake in the tent he shared with Midnight, since the latter was out on guard duty, wondering just what the hell to make of it all...


	27. Day 1 (Part 25)

The ground was hard and the air crisp that night. Comfort was never going to be the first priority of fugitives, so all Cobra had to sleep on was a mat so thin he might as well have just been sleeping on the ground. Not that he was especially picky where he slept…unlike some of his teammates.

No matter where he was going to sleep, the fact still remained that it seemed like he would get no sleep that night. His mind was still buzzing with thoughts about the day.

The she-devil's plan was insane, obviously. There was no way under normal circumstances that he would even touch anything having to do with that with a ten foot pole. Leave that stuff to the girls and their wild, unstable imaginations (and perhaps Richard if he was really feeling up to it). Not him...never him.

But...where would his absence leave Lucy exactly? He knew for a fact the barmaid wouldn't let down her friends after basically promising her a job...but how exactly would she fare all by herself?

He thought back to her injury and what that had meant for her as a mage. Being denied jobs and suffering silently must have been a blow to confidence; especially after other, far more tragic events...

Cobra's many trains of thought were interrupted by the sound of boots walking towards the tent. Midnight's shift was over which meant he was coming to swap out now. Which meant even more alone time with his thoughts…Zeref, he was going to be _exhausted_ in the morning. Maybe he would "accidentally" sleep in tomorrow…


End file.
